Bad News, Your "Diet" Soda Is Making You Fat Too

Data from a
recent study by the American Diabetes Association shows that
while diet sodas may be free of calories, they do not prevent you
from gaining weight (via CBS).
In fact, they may contribute to weight gain. Diet soda also
contributes to diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and other chronic
conditions.

The ADA analyzed measures of height, weight, and waist
circumference compared to diet soda consumption over a period of
nine and a half years and found that the adults who drank more
diet soda per day gained more weight and added to their
waistlines.

Those who drank two or more diet sodas a day added four more
centimeters to their waistlines over time:

American Diabetes Association

So if there aren't calories, what is causing the weight gain? In
another study, the ADA, fed one group of mice a normal diet,
and another group the same diet with the addition of aspartame,
an artificial sweetener used in most diet drinks. At the end of
three months, the mice on the aspartame diet had much higher
blood glucose levels.

A co-author of both studies told the
Daily Mail: "Artificial sweeteners could have the effect of
triggering appetite but unlike regular sugars they don't deliver
something that will squelch the appetite." She added the lack of
real sugar could inhibit the body from feeling full.